


(Pride and Prejudice)^2

by sometimesmaybeme



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, Homosexuality, Love, M/M, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-06
Updated: 2013-07-08
Packaged: 2017-12-17 22:24:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/872624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sometimesmaybeme/pseuds/sometimesmaybeme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is a starving college literature major looking for work when his friend and roommate, Will, hears that a local theatre is looking for stagehands for a production of Pride and Prejudice. When Merlin shows up to turn in the application, he is surprised when they ask him to stand in and read for Elizabeth Bennet. With no formal acting experience, he is even more surprised when they give him the role. It is explained, then, that the director’s concept is to take P&P to a whole new level--setting it in modern times, and changing Lizzie Bennet to Liam Bennet. This avant garde production turns heads, and receives much attention from the media. Merlin is cast opposite Arthur Pendragon, a professional actor flown in from England on contract to play the role of Fitzwilliam Darcy. While working alongside each other, it becomes clear that both actors must also work past their own pride and prejudices to learn to understand the other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that came to me while I was working on my university's production of Pride and Prejudice in the spring. My ideas for this fic are fairly grandiose, and I hope I can do them justice. The "explicit" rating and "explicit sexual content" tag are future precautions. I do not know when it will happen, but it will. I promise. I think I'm probably the worst WIP author ever, so I hope you'll not hate me. 
> 
> Also, I think there might be some criticism about setting this story in the US. I tried to set it somewhere else, but this was were the story had to be for some reason. I think that even though the canon work comes out of the UK, one of the great things about fanfiction as that you can explore new settings and new worlds, so I hope you'll bear with me.

“Will, we’re going to be late!” Merlin whined from the passenger seat.

“Need I remind you, Emmy, that you were the one that took half an hour to decide what he was going to wear.”

They had the windows rolled down in Will’s decrepit Volvo, and the crisp coastal air whipped through car, leading Merlin to clamp his hands to his head in a vain attempt to salvage his meticulous hair-styling efforts. 

“Well your shitty car wouldn’t start,” Merlin replied.

“Hey! Don’t insult her. She is a beautiful creature and has served us well for many years.”

“She’s on her last legs, Will.” Merlin said, voice dripping with mock sympathy.

“Bite your tongue! She will never die,” Will cried, giving the steering wheel an awkward hug while trying to navigate the road’s twists and turns. The road wound through the small valley in the hills lined with eucalyptus trees. 

“Fine, fine. But living in a delusion isn’t healthy, my friend,” Merlin said, smoothing his hair once more. “Are we almost there?”

“Yes we’re almost there. Calm down.” Will paused for a moment. “Did you hear about the British guy they’re bringing in for this?” 

“I didn’t even know there was a theatre out here until you told me,” Merlin said.

“Oh, Emmy, you’re so adorable.”

“Would you please quit calling me that? Jesus, I’m twenty years old!”

“But you will always be my sweet little Emmy,” Will crooned, leaning over to pinch Merlin’s cheek. 

“Keep your eyes on the road, idiot,” Merlin yelled, swatting away Will’s hand. “What’s so special about this British guy, then?” 

“His name is Arthur Pendragon,” Will explained. Arthur was the son of Uther Pendragon, who owned the Camelot Theatre Company, which had venues of various sizes all over the world, but was based out of London. Arthur was on contract with his father’s company, and was required to do one show at each venue. Apparently, he was guaranteed the roll of Darcy in Camelot’s production of Pride and Prejudice. 

The two roommates fell into silence then, as the old Volvo, Shelby, navigated the sloped road. A nervous tension permeated what was otherwise a beautiful, sunny day on the northern California coast. 

“We both need this work, Will.” Merlin said, breaking the silence. 

“Who says you’re going to get work, Merlin?” Will snorted. “You’re an English major, why would a theatre hire you?” 

“I’m being serious. We’re going to lose our apartment if we can’t make rent again. We can’t be homeless college students literally giving every penny to rent, Will. We can’t.”

“I know, I know. We’ll just have to try our best to make a good impression.”

“You’re right,” Merlin smiled. “Besides, they’re doing P&P, and I’m a literature emphasis. They have to need a consultant or something.” The car careened around another bend in the pavement, and they were hit with a blast of fresh ocean air. 

“Your emphasis is early British lit, Merlin, I’m not sure how Beowulf is going to help you with Austen.”

“Oh ye of little faith, Will,” Merlin said. “They’re definitely going to hire me.”

 _I hope_ , he added silently. 


	2. Audition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first official chapter! Thanks for all you support already, it means a lot. 
> 
> NOTE: From now all, direct quotes from the Pride and Prejudice source text when used by the actors will be in italics. Pride and Prejudice is public domain.

A large, white building stood in front of Merlin. It was easily three stories tall, and after four low steps, the bright red door was framed by a set of pearly columns. In Merlin’s opinion, the entryway was more than a little too gaudy for the northern Californian coast. 

Strung between the two columns, a bright red banner read “Camelot Theatre Company”. 

“That’s it?” Merlin asked, the ocean wind tearing through his hair. 

“What do you mean ‘that’s it’?” Will retorted. 

“It seems sort of…quaint,” Merlin said, squinting his eyes for dramatic effect. 

“This isn’t broadway, Merlin,” Will said. “This is the perfect size for what they need.” 

“Ready?” Will asked. 

“Uh, just a moment,” Merlin said, looking up from his position bent next to the mirror only partially attached to Will’s car, trying to fix his hair.

“Right, well, I’m going to go on ahead then.” 

Merlin nodded his understanding, and when he finally surrendered the battle with his unruly black hair, made his way to the large double doors, pulling his loose blue sweater down around him.

Just as he was reaching out his hand to grab the handle, however, the door flew open, forcing Merlin to take a quick step back. He nearly fell off the stone steps when a man burst out of the swinging door, a lit cigarette clamped between his lips. 

He was tall and muscular. His golden hair framed his face, and came down to just brush the nape of his neck. At this moment, his face was set in a deep scowl, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Merlin noted he would be very attractive if he smiled. 

“Watch it,” the blond man growled around his cigarette. 

“Excuse me?” Merlin asked, indignant. 

“Apologize,” was the gruff reply. Merlin detected the subtle notes of an accent in his voice. 

“Me apologize? You should apologize for nearly knocking me over. I didn’t do anything.”

 The other man said nothing. He stood there silently, staring Merlin directly in the eyes, and took a drag. 

“Well?” Merlin asked. 

They faced off in silence for another agonizing second, until the older man slowly blew the smoke he had been holding in directly into Merlin’s face. “You’re in my way.” 

“Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?” Merlin yelled, but he had already brushed passed him and was walking away. 

“Asshat,” he called for good measure, and walked in the door. 

The lobby of Camelot was abuzz with whispered conversation. It was decorated in deep reds and golds, with a thick carpet, and waves of cloth draped framed pictures from past shows. The large room was filled with nervous looking actors. Some sat in silence with their eyes closed, headshots clutched tightly in their palms, some whispered lines under their breath, taking every last moment of rehearsal, and others still talked cheerfully with friends and acquaintances. Merlin shrugged off his anger at the stranger from outside, and surveyed the crowd nervously, wondering where Will had gone. 

When he spotted him, he was talking to a tall, lumberjack-looking man standing next to the check-in table. Will waved him over cheerfully. 

“Merlin! Where have you been? This is Leon,” Will motioned to the lumberjack. He seemed to be in his early thirties, and his ginger beard was scraggly to say the least. “He’s one of the assistant stage-managers.”

“Nice to meet you,” Leon said, shaking Merlin’s hand. “Are you also looking for tech work like Will?”

“Ah... No. I was thinking something more along the lines of a period consultant or something? I’m a literature student, see, and I think I could be pretty useful.” 

“I’m not really sure we’re looking for something like that. Sorry, man. I could always use some more hands backstage if you have some theatre experience, though.”

_Oh_. The feeling of dejection was immediate as it crashed down on Merlin. 

“I don’t really have any experience before now.” He was blushing now, he knew it. This was such an awkward situation, why did he ever think this was a good idea? 

“That’s too bad,” Leon smiled uncomfortably. “But hey, if you fill out a volunteer form I’m sure we could use some extra help, and then you could start getting some experience. It’s great that you want to get involved.” 

As Merlin filled out the one page form, Will and Leon continued their conversation. 

“I’ve always loved the shows you do out here. I’ve come for years. My dad brought me when I was young, and these days I come with friends from school.” 

“You going to university?” 

“Yeah, we both go to NCUS,” Will answered. 

“Great! I loved your production of Hamlet last year. I really liked what you guys did with the lights.” 

Will flushed bright red, and his hand shot up to nervously rub the back of his neck. “Oh, really? I--uh--I designed that show, actually.” 

“No way! That was so great.”

“It was nothing like you guys’ Macbeth, though.” 

Leon clapped a hand on Will’s shoulder. “You’re a sweetheart.”

“I’ll take you to see the board,” Leon said cheerfully. “If we go up the back through prop alley we wont disturb the auditions.” 

“Awesome!” Will exclaimed. “Thank you so much, Leon.” There was an awkward pause as Merlin stared at Will expectantly. “Ah, Leon?” 

“Fine, fine. Bring your friend along too, but make sure he behaves.” 

Prop alley, as far as Merlin was concerned, was a terrifying place. It was a towering hallway that went up two stories of the building. The walls were lined with every object imaginable, collected through the years of Camelot’s productions. The dark avalanche-in-waiting also extended out under a low-hanging wall, which Merlin would later learn was underneath the “house”, or the audience section of the theatre. A chill breeze flowed through the “alley”, and Merlin felt the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention. 

They followed the tall Leon up a small, steep staircase, and quietly opened the door at the top. The booth was cramped and dark. The silence felt like it was crackling with energy. All the energy was focused on the voices that drifted up through the open window. It was a small room over-hanging the back rows of the house, with large windows looking down onto the stage. A wooden counter ran the length of the wall, and on it sat a complex network of control boards and monitors. Papers were strewn everywhere, and on the windowsill sat countless old coffee cups. 

“Oh look at you!” Will crooned as he spotted the light board. “This is sweet!” 

Merlin let their techie jargon float over him as he approached the open window. An audition was happening on the stage. Two actors stood on stage, scripts in hand, and a table was set up in the fifth row of the house where the production heads sat, watching. One of the actors was a young man with a strong jaw and think, dark hair. He gesticulated wildly as he read the lines from the page, his voice heavy with emotion. His performance wasn’t bad, but it was the actor opposite him who truly made an impression on Merlin. 

He was blond, muscular, and Merlin couldn’t help feeling captivated by his stoic expression. He recognized him immediately as the douche who had ran into him earlier, but something felt different about him now. As he spoke, his full, expressive mouth carefully formed each resonating syllable. While he wasn’t moving about the stage like his counterpart, his performance was decidedly more interesting. As he stood, occasionally glancing down at the script in his hand, he had full control of the stage. Just his presence demanded your complete attention, and for a moment Merlin forgot to breathe. 

_Well damn,_ he thought. 

“Amazing, isn’t he?” A voice said next to Merlin. 

He jumped at the sudden sound intruding on his thoughts. He hadn’t noticed the old man who had been standing in the corner of the booth also watching the audition below. His serious face was heavily wrinkled, and his white hair was tucked behind his ears. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He smiled, offering a hand. “I’m Gaius.” 

“Merlin,” he replied, shaking his hand. 

“And that,” Gaius pointed down at the stage, “is Arthur Pendragon. Absolute diva, but his work is phenomenal.” 

Merlin felt the bottom of his stomach drop. THAT was Arthur Pendragon? That pompous, rude, and frankly disgusting ass was the famed Pendragon son?

“My friend Will mentioned him,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “So that is him, huh? Is he really that special?” 

“You tell me. You saw that performance. The other kid is Mordred, he isn’t bad, but he looks like a stumbling foal next to Arthur. He’s got it, that thing all actors are trying to find. He can do anything you ask him to, and probably he’ll make it better.” 

“But his attitude… He seems like a real ass.” 

Gaius laughed. “To be sure. You haven’t been in this industry long, have you?” 

“Nope. I’m just here with my friend Will. He’s over there trying to sweet-talk his way into a light tech job.” 

“I see. I’ll let you in on a secret. A lot of actors are asses. It just goes along with the territory. You have to have the confidence to bare your soul to the audience night after night, and that takes a special kind of person.” 

“I guess you’re right. I don’t think I could ever do it,” Merlin admitted, after a moment of thought. 

“No? Hmm…” They fell into silence as the watched Arthur and Mordred doing another scene. Arthur was just as powerful as he had been before, but Mordred seemed to be floundering. How could this graceful presence that Merlin couldn’t tear his eyes from be the same gruff man who had plowed him over earlier? Watching him now it was almost...beautiful. He shook his head--that didn’t excuse his being a complete dickwad.  “About your friend, he’ll get the job.” 

“Really?” Merlin asked. “How can you know that?” 

“Leon wouldn’t have brought him up here if he didn’t like him and--ah--”

A loud noise was coming from the stage. When Merlin turned to look down, he saw Arthur standing on the edge of the stage and shading his eyes from the bright lights as he looked up at the booth. This was the Arthur he had seen out front, the charming actor was gone. 

“Gaius! Damn it, Gaius are you up there? Where you paying attention?” Arthur was yelling. 

“Yes, Arthur, what is it?” Gaius called back with a sigh.  

“It’s useless! I couldn’t work with any of them. Don’t you have anyone with talented in this god-forsaken country?”

“I’m standing right here,” the young Mordred said, looking fiercely at Arthur. 

“Yes, and why is that?” Arthur asked. “You’re finished. Get out.”

“Hey now,” Gaius interrupted. “Put your claws down, Arthur, there is no reason to be rude. Thank you for your time, Mordred. You can go.” 

The house fell into silence as Mordred jumped off the stage and stormed out the doors to the lobby. His face filled with rage. 

Gaius thought for a moment and sighed once more. “Alright, Arthur, I have one more kid I want you to try. Is that alright?”

“Fine. One more, but then I’m done for the day.” 

“Deal,” Gaius yelled out the window. “Then, Merlin, was it? Come with me.”

The next thing he knew, Merlin was being dragged back down the stairs and through prop alley, and Will was calling out behind him, “Hey! Merlin?” 

“Wait, what? Hold on, Gaius, what are you doing?” Merlin asked. 

“I’m taking you to audition.” What? What was he talking about? He couldn’t audition. 

“I doubt they’re going to let that happen,” Merlin said, struggling to keep up with Gaius’ fast strides. Was this man insane? “And besides, I’m not an actor.” 

“Didn’t I mention?” Gaius asked as he dragged Merlin by the wrist through the lobby. “I’m the director of this thing, and so what I say goes. I want to see you read this part, and since you clearly have nothing else going on, you’re going to do it.” 

“But--” 

They were in the house before Merlin could finish his objection, and Gaius gave him a quick shove up the stairs on the side of the stage. “Go.” 

“Someone get the boy a side!” Gaius yelled. 

Arthur’s icy blue eyes locked on to Merlin. 

“It’s you!” he exclaimed. 

“Believe me, I’m not happy about it either,” Merlin muttered. 

“No, Gaius. No. I can’t work with him.” Arthur stood on the lip of the stage, his face in shadow. 

“What do you mean? Of course you can,” Gaius replied as he sat down behind the table in the fifth row, joining the group of scared looking production heads.

“No, I really can’t,” Arthur said curtly. 

“You’re a professional, aren’t you?” Gaius asked wryly. 

“Yes, but--” Arthur argued. 

“But nothing. You’re a big boy, Arthur, you can do one reading with nice little Merlin there.” 

For a second, Arthur’s face turned into the sullen pout of a scolded child, though it was quickly replaced but a mask of cool composure. 

“Of course,” he said with a smile, turning to walk up next to Merlin. “Let’s see what this _Merlin_ can do.” 

“Great!” Gaius chirped. “Now, Merlin, my stage manager here, Lance, is going to ask you some questions. WHERE IS THE SIDE?”

“Here!” a young man cried, running on stage and shoving a packet of papers into Merlin’s hand. 

“Excellent. Thank you, Elyan.” 

Merlin was still dazed by the flurry of activity as the SM began asking questions. 

“I said, what’s your full name,” Lance said, finally getting Merlin’s attention. Arthur scoffed. 

“M-Merlin Emrys,” he stuttered. 

“Oh wonderful, he’s got a stutter. Where’d you find this one?” Arthur asked. Merlin shot him a furious glance, and made sure to stand up straight and speak clearly as he answered the next question. 

“None.”

“Sorry?” Lance asked. 

“I have no acting experience,” Merlin said. 

“A-alright,” Lance said, making a note on the sheet in front of him. 

“Are you serious?” Arthur asked incredulously. “Gaius if this is a joke, please tell me now.” 

“No joke, just trying something new.”

“There is a difference between new and new-born.” 

Merlin fired another glare at Arthur, and then refused to acknowledge him again as he answered the rest of the background information questions. 

“Okay, thanks Merlin,” Lance said with a smile. “Now just take a moment to look over the sides, uh, that’s the script bits in your hand. Take a couple minutes to get used to it and then we’ll give it a go. Start from where it’s marked.” 

“You haven’t even looked over the sides? I realize that this is likely some elaborate prank, but at this point I feel like you are using this child to mock me. his hair is sloppy, his clothes are wrinkled, and he didn’t even deign to look at the sides before coming in for the reading. Is this the quality of work you uphold here? I can guarantee that this isn’t the calibre of work expected by the Camelot company.” Arthur was clearly furious, and the room was charged with a crackling tension. 

“Are you done?” Gaius asked. Arthur stood silently with a scowl etched deep on his face. “Good, then Merlin, go ahead and take some time to look at the lines.” 

Merlin felt the blood rushing through his ears, and his fists clench.  How dare some pompous British stranger look down on him like that. He knew nothing about Merlin, so why did he have the right to be such an ass?

“It’s fine,” Merlin growled. 

“What?’ Gaius asked. 

“It’s fine,” he repeated. “I don’t need more time.” 

Arthur scoffed audibly once more. 

“I’m a literature student, and I know this story inside and out.” Neither of which were a lie, though they weren’t as related as he wanted them to believe. “Also, I’m twenty years old--I am _not_ a child. If anyone is a child it’s you, throwing a tantrum when you’re supposed to be a professional.”

As Merlin took a sharp intake of breath, the rest of the room froze. Arthur’s eyebrows pulled down into a deep scowl as he slowly released air through his nose like a bull preparing to charge. 

“Fine,” Arthur growled. “Then what are we waiting for?” 

“S-so, Merlin, if you’d please start at Elizabeth’s line,” Lance sputtered. “In this scene Elizabeth and Darcy are dancing, but since we haven’t taught any choreography, just walk in a circle around each other for now.” 

Arthur straightened his back and made an “after you” gesture to Merlin as he began to move. Following his lead, Merlin squared his shoulders and stepped off to the left. Arthur was surveying him cooly as they circled. Merlin could feel the pressure of his gaze as it travelled up and down his body. Not one to back down from a challenge, Merlin tried to imitate the expression and stared right back as he began the lines. 

“ _It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy. I talked about the dance, and you ought to make some sort of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples_ ,” Merlin said, his voice low and chill. He was doing all he could to suppress his anger, because no matter what he was going to prove this dickhead wrong. 

“ _Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing?_ ” Arthur said. His voice was lower than it had been before, and while his face remained stoic, it still seemed to capture a myriad of emotions. he was somehow completely different than he had been a moment before. This was the change Merlin had seen up in the booth as well. he was no longer the petulant Arthur Pendragon, but the attention-grabbing Mr. Darcy. His presence demanded to be felt, and all the energy in the room seemed to flow to him. He was leagues ahead of any actor Merlin had seen before, and he itched to match him to the inch. He wasn’t going to end this without a fight. 

“ _Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together; and yet for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so arranged, as that they may have the trouble of saying as little as possible_ ,” Merlin said. Still they circled, their bodies mirroring one another as neither dared to look away. Like two cats stalking each other they drew closer, but were always on alert. 

“ _Are you consulting your own feelings in the present case, or do you imagine that you are gratifying mine?_ ” 

Their dance continued with the back and forth of the lines until they reached the spot on the page very clearly marked “STOP” in permanent marker. Still they stood, facing off, each trying not to lose their silent challenge. 

The house was silent for a moment, and then Gaius spoke: “Alright, boys. I think we’ve seen enough, don’t you?”

Merlin was still locking eyes with the steely Arthur as the production team mumbled their agreement. 

“--the part.” He heard Gaius say. 

“What?” Merlin asked. 

“You got the part,” Gaius repeated.

“Which part?” Merlin asked, his eyes finally breaking away from Arthur’s. 

“Elizabeth Bennet,” Gaius said. 

“What?” Merlin cried. 


End file.
